College Advising

We believe in nurturing the self-awareness necessary to choose not just the best school, but the best school for you.

The College Process and The Salisbury Advantage

Your choice of college is one that will have a critical impact on the path your life takes. At Salisbury School, our goal is to position you for success and help you maximize all available opportunities.

Admission to top-tier schools is becoming more competitive every year. Applicants require both strong grades from a respected institution as well as leadership skills that set them apart from their peers.

As a prominent boys’ college prep school in Connecticut, Salisbury School plays a key role in the educational journey of its students. Our reputation as an institution committed to academic rigor and interpersonal development gives graduates an important advantage when applying to colleges. Our reputation as a prominent college prep high school is evident in the success of our graduates. In the past, matriculating students have gone on to study at world-class institutions such as Harvard, New York University, Cornell University, Trinity College and others.

Sophisticated programs such as our Family Connection website give you tools to explore your options and engage your parents in the decision-making process along with you. In addition, the wide range of athletic, artistic and community service opportunities we offer helps mold well-rounded individuals who are more attractive candidates for leading schools. Family Connection is a comprehensive web site that you can use to help in making decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. It is linked with Counselor's Office, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that's specific to our School.

Build a resume, complete on-line surveys and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers.

Research colleges - Compare GPAs, standardized test scores and other statistics to actual historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past.

Sign up for college visits - Find out which colleges are visiting our school and sign up to attend those sessions.

Family Connection also lets us share information with you about up-coming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other Web resources for college and career information. You can also use the site to send us an e-mail message. We will provide you with a personal access code and instructions for accessing Family Connection. To contact our College Advising Team email us at tgomez@salisburyschool.org or call 860-435-5716.

Resources

The primary goal of our College Advising program is to assist you in finding “the right fit” in a college or university.

By working closely with you and your family, we strive to provide attractive college options and choices at the end of the process. With a staff that includes four faculty advisors and an administrative assistant, the office is equipped to give you significant personal attention and flexibility in helping tailor certain aspects of the process to you as an individual (ie: athletic recruiting, art/music portfolios, and other special talents or circumstances).

While the program begins in earnest during the fifth form year, we also offer year by year expectations and plans for students. You can find information for your year from the College Process Timeline.

Family Connection (A web site tool that aids in making decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. It is linked with Counselor's Office, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that's specific to our School. It also links directly to other web-based tools such as College Board, College Majors 101, Simple Tuition, FinAid.com, Collegeview, and more!)

Your Timeline to the College Process

Sixth Form Year

The application process begins in earnest, be sure to observe all deadlines for admission and scholarships. Because of our late start date, work should begin on this from home prior to arriving on campus.

Schedule an appointment with your college counselor to discuss your summer adventures, college visits and your college list.

Request teacher recommendations right away.

Take the SAT in October and November and/or December if needed. January provides one final opportunity. If recommended, take the ACT in October and/or December.

Be aware of the requirements of each of your schools or the specific programs. For example: SAT II’s, foreign language, certain levels of math, supplemental essays, recommendations, portfolios or auditions.

Meet with college representatives when they visit campus and attend college fairs at The Hotchkiss School.

Parents should fill out the FAFSA as early as possible after January 1. (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Other schools, particularly private colleges, also require the PROFILE—CSS (www.collegeboard.com).

Use Parents Weekend to visit schools one more time if needed.

Mail your applications as soon as they are ready. Do not wait until the day of the deadline to submit. Colleges take note of when they receive an application.

Fifth Form Year

Take the PSAT in October. (The Fifth Form will be registered by the School.)

In the fall, begin meeting with college representatives who visit campus or attend college fairs at The Hotchkiss.

The Fifth Form College Symposium Weekend in January will be the formal kick-off of the college process. Three college admissions officers participate in a panel discussion, followed by a question and answer session. You will also be assigned a college advisor and introduced to what the next 12 months will look like in the college process.

Fill out your Fifth Form Questionnaire as provided by the College Office by the end of January.

Take the SAT in January and May. Take the SAT II in June if applicable.

Take the ACT in April (and again in June if advised).

Visit colleges over March break.

Talk to your Salisbury coaches if you are interested in playing a sport at the college level and get a list of schools or an indication of the level of competition for which you project. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center if you are considering playing a sport in college.

Work closely with the Art Department if you are preparing a portfolio. Be aware of “Portfolio Days” in the coming fall and winter and their locations.

Meet with your college advisor a minimum of three times in the late winter and spring trimesters.

Ask for teacher recommendations from a History or English and a Science or Mathematics teacher if at all possible.

Update your resume.

Visit Colleges over the course of the summer and begin to pare down your college list.

Third and Fourth Form Years

Take the PSAT in October (The School will register all fourth formers).

Take tougher classes and earn good grades. Strength of curriculum is very important, especially if selective colleges are going to be considered.

Stay involved in your activities and sports and look for leadership opportunities; or get involved by trying something new in your Third Form year. Do your best to remain consistent in your participation - don’t jump around too much between sports and activities.

If there is a potential interest in a U.S. military academy, request a pre-candidate questionnaire and fill it out.

If you have an interest in pursuing a sport in college, attend camps and showcases during the summer.

If you plan on submitting a portfolio of art or music, begin to collect your work.

Update your resume and keep track of activities and accomplishments. Make the effort to get to know your advisor, teachers, dorm parents and coaches well then begin to collect letters of recommendation, if appropriate.

Do something with your summer! Get a job, volunteer, train for your sport, pursue your interests and passions. Tour college campuses.

College Acceptances

At Salisbury School, our role as a leading Connecticut college preparatory boys’ school is to give you the skills and advantages you need to make one of the most important decisions of your young lives.

We understand that remaining competitive in a sea of college applicants requires well-rounded individuals who demonstrate not only academic strength but also stellar interpersonal and leadership qualities, as well as a keen interest in the world beyond the classroom.

Our students are scholars first, but also athletes, artists, community activists and more. Our success as a boys’ prep school is evident in the long list of colleges our matriculating students have gone on to.

Building Stronger Leaders and Well-Rounded Young Men

We create an environment where you are free to take risks and learn, both inside and out of the classroom. Of course, our students benefit from a rigorous academic curriculum, with programs in Mandarin Chinese, Entrepreneurial Studies, and Robotics, among other in-demand topics. More critically, we give you an opportunity to learn about yourself, to discover who you are and what you want out of life and how to take the next steps.

We offer a proactive college advising program that makes use of both the experience and expertise of our staff, as well as sophisticated tools such as the web-based Family Connection system, to identify the school that’s the best fit for you. Following that, we provide individual attention and assistance in putting together an application package that will highlight your unique talents and maximize your chance of admission.

A Connecticut College Prep School With a Record of Success

Connecticut’s Salisbury School was founded in 1901 and has a more than 100-year history of preparing high school boys to meet the challenges of college and beyond. Choosing and getting accepted to the right school is the first step in this. The following is a sample of colleges to which members of the Class of 2017 were accepted. Congratulations, boys!